The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-08
THE WOOL-GROwERS.
They Appeal to the People To Aid in the Pro
lection of Their Interests.

They Appeal to the People to Aid in the Pro-
lection of Their Interests.
WASHINGTON. Dec. AT to-day's session of
the conference of wool growers and wool-dealers
of the United States, called by the president of
the National Association of Wool-growers, the
following was unanimously adopted:
.'The wool-dealers and wool-growers of the
United States, representing a capital of over
$500. 600. 600 and a constituency of a million
wool growers and wool-dealers, assemble in
conference in the city of WASHINGTON. the 7th
day of December. 1887. having read the first an
Dual message of the President to the Fiftieth
Congress. declare that the sentiments of the
message a direct attack upon their industry
and in positive violation of the national Demo-
cratic platform of 1884 interpreted by the
party leaders and accepted bv the rank and file
of the party; that the argument made by the
President for the removal of our protection
against foreign competition Is the old
peatedly made by the enemies of our industrial
progress. and effectively answered in nearly
every school district OF our land and so thorough
Iy disproved by the logic of facts and demon
strarion OF experience and history as to need o
answer from us.
1--WE acknowledge that our "smal holdings"
our scattered and unorganzed condition, makes
the easy prey of the free-trader, but we had
a right to expect something different from the
chief executive of the Nation at once the most
happy, prosperous and contented of all the
world made by policy OF protection and
development. which he now seeks to destroy.
We had a right to expect our President would
favor the wool-erowers of the United States,
and confess our deep disappoin tment that, in
stead, he favors the interests of our foreign com
petitors.
"Justly alarmed at his position, we MAKE an
appeal from his recommendations to the people.
to all the people, to the seven and three-fourtbS
millions of our fellow citizens engaged in agri-
culture to the millions engaged in manufact-
uring, to the army of wage earners whose
ges are maintained bv the protective system, to
the tradesmeu and merchants whose prosperity
depends upon ours. confident that the Judgment
and decision will be based Justice and
patriotism, and therefore for the maintenance
of the American policy CT protection to which
the country is indebted for its unexampled de-
velopemept and prosperity.
ITO demonstrate the injustice OF the Presi-
dents policy and the fallacy of the remedy he
proposes for the reduction OF the surplus,
point to the fact that if the whole amount OF the
revenue derived from wool was abolished it
would reduce the surplus Only about So 600 000
or less than ten cents per capita of the popula-
ton. which is paid by foreigners. while the old
taxes he recommends retained yield over
one hundred and nineteen millions, and is d
rect tax per capita of dollars each, and is
what makes mp the great bulk of the surplus of
one hundred and forty millions, and which fos-
ters a most dangerous monopoly
''We would further add the following statis-
tics in regard to the wool industry: The annual
revenue derived from imports of wool under the
tariff of 1867 was less than 81. 700 600. Under
was over So, 600, 900. The number oe sheep in
the country in 1884 was 80, 626. .626; in 1887 it
was A. G59 3l4, decrease of nearly G. 600. 600,
and a diminution OF the annual wool product of
over 3d. 000 600 pounds. thus showing that re-
ducne the tariff by the act of 1883 has increased
the revenue from imported woods and dimn-
ished the number of sheen in the United States
about IL per cent, and the annual product 10
the same proportion. The Presidents policy
would bring about the destruction of this indus
trv and the same policy of reduction abolition
of the tariff would end in disaster to all the
other industrial productive enterprises of the
cOuptry.n